Sunday, September 30, 2012

Mohammed
Al-Bakri from Gaza’s Union of Agricultural Work Committees points out
the “no-go” zones for Palestinian fishers and farmers.

Gaza City, IPS- By Eva Bartlett (blog version longer than original published)
“From the coast to eight miles out, the sea is like a desert: it’s
sandy and there are no fish.” Mohammed Al-Bakri traces a thick line on
the wall map before him, following the lines of Gaza’s eastern and
northern borders, continuing south from three miles off the coast.

General
manager of Gaza’s Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Bakri is
well-versed in the woes of the Strip’s fishers and farmers. He explains
the insufficient fishing waters Palestinians are limited to, and the
consequences of being on the sea at all.
“The Israeli navy attacks the fishermen, arrests them and takes their boats, even
within three miles,” he says, referring to the three-mile limit the
Israeli authorities have unilaterally imposed on Palestinian fishers.
Under the Oslo accords, Palestinian fishers are authorised to fish 20
nautical miles into Gaza’s sea. The Israeli authorities have illegally
downsized Palestinian fishing waters, using lethal violence to enforce
new fishing limitations. On a given day, Palestinian fishers are subject
to Israeli navy machine gun fire, shelling, water cannoning, and
abductions.
“When the fishers are arrested, they just have a boat and a net,”
says Bakri. “No weapons, they are just trying to catch to sell at the
market, to earn money for their families.
On August 28, the Israeli navy arrested two fishermen: a 60 year old man and his 16 year old son, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reports.
Bakri says were less than one mile off Gaza’s coast. “The boat was engine-less, they wouldn’t go more than 3 miles in it.”
Testimony given to PCHR confirms this, the abducted fishers stating
“when we were nearly 300 meters off al-Waha Resort, two Israeli gunboats
arrived and circled my fishing boat.”
Following intensive shooting around their boat, the fishers were
ordered to remove their clothes and swim to the Israeli gunboat, a
practice that the majority of abducted Palestinian fishers say they are
subject to.
“More than 500 fishers have been arrested and at least 12 killed by the Israeli navy,” says Mohammed Al-Bakri.
A July 2012 report by the Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights,
covering the period from January 2011 to April 2012, recounts offenses
the Israeli navy committed, including the abduction of at least 60
fishers, the shooting and injuring of at least 12 fishers, more than 13
fisher’s boats taken, and the intentional damage of fisher’s nets and
equipment.
With over 3,600 fishermen and 70,000 people dependent on income from
the sea, Gaza’s fishing has been decimated by such Israeli tactics and
policies. “When there is no income, fishers must depend on food aid from
the United Nations (UN),” says Bakri. “But there are a lot of other
needs, like housing, clothing, medical care, education.”

A fishing trawler roughly 500m off Gaza’s coast.

Most fishers say there are virtually no fish before at least 6 to 8 miles out.

“If the situation continues like this, we won’t see any fishers on the sea in the future.”
Nor farmers.
Bakri refers back to the red line on the UN map of Gaza marked ‘Areas
restricted for Palestinian access’. Imposed unilaterally by Israeli
authorities, the “buffer zone” officially bans Palestinian farmers and
civilians from the 300 metres of land flanking Gaza’s eastern and
northern borders.
In reality, the UN, international NGOs, and Palestinian organisations
have documented Israeli soldiers’ targeting of Palestinians even as far
as nearly two kilometres from the border.
“Shooting at people accessing restricted areas is often carried out
from remotely-controlled weapon stations…every several hundred metres
along the fence, each containing machine guns protected by retractable
armoured covers, whose fire can reach targets up to 1.5 km,” reads a
2010 UN report.
Via machine gun fire, shelling, flechette (dart) bombs, drone
attacks, land razing and setting crops on fire, the Israeli army has
rendered one-third of Gaza’s agricultural land deadly and inaccessible.
Palestinian farmers continue to face Israeli attacks as they attempt
to farm their land, for the majority their sole source of income and
food for their families.
“We need political support internationally, to pressure Israel into
allowing farmers to work their land and fishers to access their sea,”
says Bakri.
Heeding his call, and hoping to build “connections of mutual
solidarity between Canada and Palestinian farmers and fishers,” a
Vancouver-based group aims to broaden political support via their Sep.
30 ‘Day of Action For the Fishers and Farmers of Gaza, Palestine’.
“This particular aspect of the siege is quite compelling because when
a society is deprived of the ability to fish and to farm, it is
deprived of its ability to sustain itself. It’s part of the ongoing
Nakba, and part of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” says Charlotte
Kates, a lawyer and one of the Day of Action coordinators.
Kates and a delegation traveled to the Gaza Strip earlier this year, meeting with Palestinian fishers and farmers.
“We want to make it clear what is happening at the hands of the
occupation, and how it is denying people’s right to live, to exist,”
Kates says. “One of our translators could not attend our meetings: a
cousin, in the ‘buffer zone’ had been murdered the same day by the
Israeli military.”
Noting the close alliance of the Canadian government with Israel,
Kates says “the government of (Canadian prime minister) Stephen Harper
has nothing but praise for the Israeli state that enforces this siege on
Gaza. On March 29, 2006, Canada became the first country in the world
to impose a siege on the Palestinian people living in Gaza and the West
Bank, declaring cancellation of aid to Palestine.”
Building cross-Canada and international alliances with Palestinian
farmers, fishers and civil society is the Vancouver group’s focus with
its Day of Action. No less important is changing Canadian policies
regarding the siege of the Gaza Strip.
“We want to build a movement that can challenge the Canadian
government on these policies, policies which predate the Harper
government,” Kates says.
Canada is not alone in endorsing the illegal siege on Gaza – what
Desmond Tutu and UN special rapporteurs John Dugard and Richard Falk,
among many others, have called collective punishment.
“Last month, the European Union decided to increase their support with Israel,” says Mohammed Al-Bakri.
The Sep. 30 Day of Action will take place in cities across Canada,
with “rallies, vigils, the launching of the book ‘Freedom Sailors’, and
leafletting,” says Charlotte Kates.
The day of solidarity with Palestinian farmers and fishers has the
backing of, among others, Independent Jewish Voices, the Simon Fraser
Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG), and former Vancouver city
councillor Tim Louis.
“The UN is quite aware of the inhuman condition that Palestinians are
subjected to and yet there is no concrete action, except allowing
humanitarian aid,” says Louis, calling for “the Canadian government stop
its indiscriminate support for Israel until such a time when Israel
complies with international law.”

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Palestinian medical sources in the
Gaza Strip reported, Friday, that a Palestinian fisherman was killed by
Israeli navy fire west of Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza
Strip. The fisherman’s brother was wounded in the attack.

File - Image By alnaharegypt.com

Dr.
Ashfar Al-Qdura, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza
Strip told the Maan News Agency that Fahmi Salah Abu Rayyash, 22, was
shot and seriously injured by Israeli fire on Friday morning, and died
of his wounds at a local hospital on Friday evening.

Al-Qudra added that Fahmi was shot by one round of live ammunition in his abdomen and another round in his right foot.

Yousef, the brother of Fahmi, suffered mild injuries and received the needed medical treatment.

The attack is part of ongoing violations carried out by the Israeli army
and navy against Palestinian fishermen in the coastal region; these
attacks led to dozens of casualties, while dozens of fishermen were also
kidnapped by the army.

Since 2000, fishermen have been denied their right to sail and fish, as
Israel reduced the area of fishing from 20 nautical miles, which was
established upon in the agreements signed between Palestinian and
Israel, to 6 nautical miles in 2008.

However, Israeli forces have continued to prevent fishermen from going beyond 3 nautical miles since 2009.

As a result, fishermen are prevented from reaching areas beyond that
distance where fish are abundant. Sometimes, Israeli forces also chase
fishermen within the 3 nautical mile area.

Consequently, Palestinian fishermen have lost 85% of their income, because of limiting the fishing area.

Related Item:

PCHR Condemns Continued Israeli Violations against Palestinian Fishermen in the Gaza Strip

------

Gaza fisherman dies after Israel shooting

Published today (updated) 29/09/2012 10:27

GAZA CITY
(Ma’an) – A fisherman from the northern Gaza Strip was pronounced dead
Friday evening after he succumbed to wounds sustained by Israeli fire
off the coast in Beit Lahiya.

Spokesman of the ministry of health
in the Gaza Strip Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma’an that 22-year-old Fahmi
Salah Abu Rayash died of his injuries Friday evening. He noted that Abu
Rayash was shot earlier by Israeli snipers stations across the borders
with the coastal enclave.

Al-Qidra explained that the fisherman was shot in his abdomen and his foot.

The victim’s brother Yousuf, who was with him in the trip, was also shot, but medics said he sustained a minor wound.

Both Palestinian brothers were transferred to Kamal Idwan hospital after they came under fire.

Health officials initially said one of the brothers was shot in his right foot, and the other in the hand.

An
Israeli army spokesman said several people had approached the fence on
the northern border, and after they didn't respond to warning shots,
soldiers fired toward their legs.

The area is frequently used by militants to plant explosive devices, he added.

The
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue to escalate its violation
against Palestinian fishermen in Gaza waters. The IOF regularly opens
fire against fishermen, detains them, and confiscates their fishing
boats, preventing them from working. Recently, the IOF killed a
fisherman and injured his brother in North Gaza district.

According
to the documentation conducted by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, at
approximately 9:30 am on Friday 27 September 2012, Israeli naval vessels
patrolling the Gaza sea opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off
the coast northwest of Al Waha resort—near the maritime border—northwest
of BeitLahiya, North Gaza district. The Israeli ships then opened fire
on two fishermen. The fishermen were terrified and left their fishing
nets and sailed to the south wards. As a result, Fahmiand his
YousifSaleh Abu Riyash (22 and 19 respectively) were injured. Medical
sources at Kamal Odwan Hospital described the injury of Fahmi as
critical. A bullet entered his left thigh and stabled in the abdomen. At
approximately 10:30 pm on the same day, medical sources announced his
death. His brother Yousif sustained bullet wound in the left hand and
his injury was described as moderate.

According
to Al Mezan’s field investigations, the two injured fishermen were
carried to the south to the nearest point where an ambulance can reach.
An ambulance from the Civil Defense carried them to the hospital. The
two brothers are from As-Salateen area in BeitLahiya, in North Gaza
district.

Al
Mezan reiterates its strong condemnation of Israel’s continuous
violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international
human rights law in its dealings with Palestinian fishermen. Al Mezan
considers Israel’s demarcation of a no-go line for Palestinian fishermen
(marked by illuminated buoys), the ongoing maritime siege, and the
policy of preventing fishermen from working in the areas most full of
fish as part of a series of collective punishments imposed on the Gaza
Strip. It is part of the general Israeli siege on Gaza, which is a form
of collective punishment that is banned under international law and may
amount to a war crime and a crime against humanity.

Therefore,
Al Mezan calls on the international community to promptly intervene to
uphold its moral obligations and its commitments under international
law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the
Protection of Civilians in Time of War, and to ensure respect for the
principles of IHL at all times. It also calls on the international
community to take all necessary measures to end Israel’s gross
violations of human rights, to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to
take immediate steps to lift the illegal siege imposed on Gaza,
including by ensuring freedom to work for Palestinian fishermen.

Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights has distributed a video
recording captured by a journalist working for Media Town. The Video shows two
Israeli worships pursuing five Palestinian fishing boats owned by Gazan
citizens in the Gazan waters. The footage was recorded at 10: 30 Tuesday
morning, August 28.

Euro-Mid condemned the ruthless attack of the Israeli warships which
directly endangered the lives of Palestinian fishermen. Meanwhile, Euro-Mid
warned against the continuation of such barbarous practices in the absence of
international monitoring and deterrence.

Euro-Mid considered the attack one of the many systematic practices
used by Israel to destroy the fishing sector in the Gaza Strip, a sector that
sustains more than 70,000 residents at time of high levels of unemployment and
poverty due to Israeli siege.

Euro-Mid noted the attack occurred within the three nautical mile
limit set by Israeli military. The fishing boats shown in the video, in fact,
were chased at a distance of less than two nautical miles from shore which is an
evident violation of the international law and the Israel's own law.

A detailed report by Euro-Mid was issued last May concluded that
Israeli authorities did not only limit the permissible fishing zone, but also
intended to prevent a great number of fishermen( around 3600) from practicing
their own trade freely and safely, even within the permissible 3-mile limit,
using its warships.

Euro-Mid report documented an estimate number
of 150 violations per year committed by Israel against Gaza fishermen including
arbitrarily arrests and shootings, in addition to dumping, vandalizing, and
confiscating fishing boats.

I took this video this morning while I was in Soudania beach, north Gaza city.At about 10.50 am the two boats of the Israeli navy surrounded 6 palestinians fishing boats.Also, the Israeli navy shot at one of the palestinian boats with five bullets.After 15 minutes, the fishermen escaped and went back to the port of Gaza city.

The
fishing zone was supposed to be 20 nautical miles, according to the
Jericho agreements from 1994 (under the Oslo accords), then it was
reduced to 12 miles, to 6 miles and now to 3 miles since January 2009.
The marine 'buffer zone' restricts Gazan fishermen from accessing 85% of
Gaza's fishing waters agreed to by Oslo.Israel has been regularly attacking Palestinian fishermen within the purported 3 nautical mile fishing limit. The
livelihood of many Gazans relies on fishing and Israel has been using
live ammunition and water cannons to prevent fishermen from doing their
work.